Jon Whitaker was born in 1943 and spent the first part of his life in London where, alongside painting, he taught at many polytechnics and schools of art. After a period of travel including India and a year living in Turkey, he settled in South Wales where he resumed his teaching.

His work comes out of an Expressionist tradition and is often related to Wagner's music dramas, especially Parsifal. He has written a novel on this theme as well as a twenty part work entitled 'Aesthetics and the Essence of Man'.

For the past seven years Jon has concentrated solely on painting. He has exhibited consistently throughout his painting career and has won first Prize of the Welsh Open Exhibition.